


The little Naga and The Prince

by Michita



Series: Fairy Tale RPG [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Style, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to other Fairy Tales, at least attempted Fairy Tale Style
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 09:19:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8527606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michita/pseuds/Michita
Summary: If it were to do this Harius would forever be human. Even if he wouldn’t marry the prince, the spell, much like a curse, would trap him in the human form. Even the pain would only be healed by the prince’s love, so if they didn’t marry the pain would remain and accompany Harius for the rest of his days. And you must know, naga had long lifes.Still Harius agreed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually the backstory of a character of mine for a fairy tale rpg. My friends suggested I post it here, so... here you go!  
> There are some things borrowed from other fairy tales, which will all be mentioned at the end. Everything not mentioned there is indeed mine.  
> I haven't added many tags yet, so feel free to point out the ones I should add. Also english is not my first language so feel free to point out mistakes as well.  
> Have fun!

Harius was born in the dark forest together with his siblings of naga. The dark forest was were all the monsters you would hear about in the stories lived and thrived. It was the place Harius called home. Sometimes humans would try to cross it in order to reach the many kingdoms that lay beyond. Because, even if the way was dangerous, travelling around the forest instead meant weeks of additional travelling.

Always fascinated by the humans and their antics Harius tried to get as close to them as possible. His father was never happy about that and forbid the little snakelet of talking to trespassers and humans in general. You see, naga parents stay with their children much like humans, instead of leaving them like normal snakes would. Harius though, curious as always, slithered up to every human he saw and tried to talk to them. Most would scream and flee and the others would try to attack him with their weapons, but still Harius would always be fascinated by them.  
  
One fateful day then, he met a human boy who was lost in the woods. A prince of one of the many kingdoms around the forest. At first the boy was scared of Harius, but curious and open as children tend to be, he talked to the little naga and realised that he wasn’t scary or dangerous at all. The little prince and snakelet became good friends after Harius had shown the prince the way back to his castle. In return the prince came often and brought Harius books and pictures and other human frippery. Thus, in his early years, Harius learned all there was about humans and the friendship between him and the prince grew closer and closer.  
  
At thirteen Harius’ father had long since abandoned him and his siblings now that they were old enough to fend for themselves. His tail was long and strong enough to strangle a grown man, even a knight, to death and his venom was potent and just as deadly.

One day the prince came to the outskirts of the forest in tears. His father was planning his marriage with a princess of another kingdom and if the prince wouldn’t marry he would never become king, which was his greatest dream. The king had said that the prince had to marry, but if he found a better suitor for himself in the next three days then he could have them instead.  
  
Harius wrecked his brain how to help his dear friend, when his scales fell from his eyes.  
He could marry the prince! He told his friend so and the prince laughed in delight. They loved each other dearly already so why not marry?? Then Harius could live with the humans like he had always wanted and the prince would become king. They laughed and played in joy and the prince went to tell his father. The next day Harius waited, like he always did, for his friend to arrive. And there he came, on a strong, mottled stallion. But he wasn’t alone. Together with the prince, came his father and some of his knights. Intimidated by all the horses and knights Harius hid behind one of the mighty trees.  
  
The humans dismounted and the prince called out to him. Overcoming his fear Harius poked around the forest. The prince, king and knights saw him, but only his little head and naked chest for his mighty tail was hidden in the shadows and not visible. The king gasped in surprise. Who would leave a child in the dark forest? How had the young one survived? Happily he told his son that they would escort his fiancé back to the castle at once. Delighted, the prince rushed forward and hugged Harius tight. Together they came out from behind the tree and Harius was happier than ever in his life. But when he slithered forth and his tail came into view the king and his knights gasped anew and flinched back. All knights drew their weapons much to the prince’s and Harius’ shock.  
  
Never would he let his precious heir marry a monster, the king cried in outrage and snatched his son’s wrist, pulling him away from the naga.  
No matter how much the prince pulled he could not free himself so he screamed at Harius to flee. The little naga hesitated. He didn’t want to leave his friend. But when the knights with their weapons drew nearer and the prince’s warnings grew louder, Harius closed his eyes and quickly slithered deep into the forest. Sad beyond any measure he hid away for the rest of the day, crying, for he didn’t know how to help his friend… and himself.

Why were all the humans afraid of the naga? Well, if he thought about it Harius knew, but still, why were they afraid of him as well?

The next day he waited for the prince. At first he hid behind the very same tree as the day before, scared that the knights might return. But they didn’t. Neither did the prince.  
Harius waited the whole day, until the little light that gathered in the dark forest over the day, had flitted away entirely.

Tomorrow the prince would marry and there was nothing Harius could do about it.

Or so he thought…

During the night of this second day Harius woke to a strange light in his cave.  
Scared he flinched back, but the light calmed him with soft words, radiating warmth.  
It could cast a spell to grant Harius’ wish, so that he could marry the prince, it promised, a spell to make Harius human. Harius slithered closer. Could that be true?  
Quickly he asked what he would have to do for the light to grant him this. Another pulse of warmth radiated from the light. Nothing, but it would hurt. His tail would shrink and split into two thin legs. And whenever Harius would walk on them it would feel like he was walking on the upturned swords of the knights that he so feared.  
The little naga was scared, but he wanted to marry the prince, so he agreed.  
  
The light glowed brighter and warned Harius.  
If it were to do this Harius would forever be human. Even if he wouldn’t marry the prince, the spell, much like a curse, would trap him in the human form. Even the pain would only be healed by the prince’s love, so if they didn’t marry the pain would remain and accompany Harius for the rest of his days. And you must know, naga had long lifes.  
Still Harius agreed.

The light glowed so bright, white was all the naga could see. Suddenly, pain flared in his tail as it shrank and withered. Then the cut of a sword right through it, tore it into two. The pain was so excruciating Harius screamed and cried and fainted.

When he awoke next, it was to a pain so great that he almost couldn’t breathe. His long tail was gone and instead creamy, little, white legs with little feet had appeared. The light was gone.

Clumsily the little, now human, boy tried to stand, but fell down again with a cry. As soon as he stood on his new feet a pain sliced through his feet as if the knights tried to pierce them with their swords. But he refused to give up. Again he stood, trying to breathe through the pain.  
Slowly Harius made his way out of the forest. He shivered from the cold his pale skin couldn’t stop. For you see, he was now naked as the day he was born. He knew humans wore clothes, but he had never needed them and had none now.  
  
In the early evening he reached the castle. The guard at the gate quickly helped the shivering child, using his coat to cover him. Like this he was brought before the king. Harius tried to spot the prince on their way, but he couldn’t see him. The throne room was empty except for the king. The golden light of the sinking sun illuminated them and made everything glow royally.

When the king saw the boy he recognized him instantly. The guard left the room and Harius bravely spoke to the king.  
He was not a monster now. He had legs and skin like humans did. Now he could marry the prince. This he said to the king.

The king shook with anger. He was a good king and didn’t mean Harius harm, but he was also weak. He wished his kingdom to be strong, but too many had seen the naga when it had still been a monster. Everyone would know what his son’s fiancé had been within days. His kingdom would lose every reputation. That couldn’t happen.

Smiling he nodded. He would show the boy one thing, every future king’s husband or wife had to see. Excited Harius agreed and let himself be led into the big garden of the palace. There was a little pond. The pain in the boy’s legs had already lessened considerately. At least it felt like that to him.  
Leading Harius towards the pond, the king explained that it showed the future in its reflection and it would show him and his son.

Eagerly Harius looked into the clear pond. He saw just himself. The king came up behind him, but Harius now saw only himself and the king, glowing in the last rays of dusk.  
It doesn’t matter, the king said, then grabbed the boy by the neck and held him under the water of the clear pond.  
He screamed and tried to free himself, but the king held fast. His slim, white legs flapped uselessly against the grass, as the king drowned him. Only when the boy stopped moving did the king loosen his grip. He pulled the lifeless boy onto the grass and called the guard.

The body was brought to the temple outside the city to be buried, without the prince ever knowing what had occurred. When asking hopefully about his friend the king just said that he had never seen him again after that day by the forest. The prince thought that the knights had scared Harius so much, that he had abandoned him forever. In the same night he married the princess and just two weeks later was crowned.

Unbeknownst to all, Harius wasn’t dead. The guard had brought him to the temple as the king had demanded. There a priest realised that the boy was just mostly dead. Now you see, there is a great difference between mostly dead and all dead.

Using his magic, the priest called out to his gods to save the kid… And that was what they did.

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo... first of all: Thank you for reading!  
> There is more to this, I even have another chapter ready, which I will post if desired.
> 
> About the other Fairy Tales mentioned in this:  
> As you might have noticed I have borrowed the whole "transformation" of Harius into a human from The Little Mermaid.  
> Not the Disney version, but the fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen. In the fairy tale the little mermaid also feels immense pain in her legs. It is described as "walking on knives" so, that's that.
> 
> Then there is a bit of The Princess Bride mixed in there.  
> It's just one sentence really, which is the mentioning of "mostly dead" versus "all dead".  
> There are a few more things borrowed from The Princess Bride in the next chapter, which will be mentioned there of course.


End file.
